Gasoline-reserve device



May 29, 1928. 1,671,551

G. SHEARMAN I GASOLINE RESERVE DEVICE Filed Sept 22, 1926 gwuento'c motor propelled vehicles, and more particui easonmn ansnavn nEvlcn. P

1 ausea lin a September This invention relates to, improvements in larly to improvements in the means by which the hydrocarbon engines of such vehicles "aresupplied with fuel and which'comprises a fueltank, a'carburetor, and a tube establishing communicationbetween the tank and carburetor.

7 The invention has for one of its objects to improve this means to the end that, when the fuel in the tank falls to a predetermined low level, the driver will be warned that his partly invertical section illustrating the.

supply of fuel is about to become exhausted,

the .feul in the tank falls to a predetermined low level the engine will cease to operate vand can not again be started until the valve isopenedr The invention is hereinafter fully described'and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

The figure 1s a vlew partly in elevation and application of the invention.

In the drawing, 1 designates the fuel tank, 2 .thecarburetor and 3 the tube of Well known type of means for supplying a hydrocarbon engine with fuel. The tube 3 establishes communication between thetank '1 and carburetor 2. The carbure- 'tor 2 is shown connected to the intake manifoldv 4 of the engine, and there is also shown the instrument board 5 of an automobile.

In accordance with my invention, the tube 3 is provided near its rear end with an inverted U-shaped loopf which the top is located above the bottom side of the tank 1 j 5 to the loop '6. The vent tube 7 is secured'at itsrear end to and communicates, with the."

and through the medium of which communication is established betweenthe tube and tank. A 'vent tubeTextends downwardly andrearwardly from the instrument board top of the loop 6 and the front end thereof isconnectedf to andcommunicates with a valvecasing 8. The casing 8 is secured to the instrument board 5, and. is provided with a port 9 open to the atmosphere. A valve 10 is arranged in the casing 8, and is provided with a handle 11 located at the "rear side of the instrument board 5, so as azfg eze, Serial t a -m. I

become exhausted. .Hefhas. now a reserve a j eneaen sasa'aman, esaewnanrre err-nf-iisw m sa tojjbe .witjlfiii conve intr hfo fth driver 'oftheautomobile. When the valve IOf iS in opened position it establishes communica co- I tion between the vent tube? and the port 9,

and when in closed position it cuts off communication between the vent tube and port.

In practice, the valve 10 is normally open to permit the fuel, when the tank 1 contains more than the reserve supply thereof, to .seek a common level in the tank and tube 7.-

The fuel willreadily flow fromthe tankl tov the carburetor-2' by way of the loop 6 and 1 tube 3, until the level of the fuel in the tank falls below the top of the loop. When this occurs air instead of fuel will be admitted to, T

the tube'3 by way of the valve 10 and tub'e 7j, and as the result the engine will slow down and stop, and the driver will be thus warned .that his supply of fuel is about to supply of fuelyin the tank 1, and to enable this supply tobe used he must close the valve I 10 and again start his engine. The closing i i of the valve 10. cutsofi' the supply of air to the loop 6, andenable's, the SHCtIOII of the" engine to siphon the fuel in theloop into the tube 3 and carburetor 2, and the engine will I now operate until all the fuel'has been used. The top of the tube 6- maybe so positioned with respectto the bottom of the tank 1 as" to cause the engine'to cease operation when thefuel in the tank falls to anydesired pre-' I determined low level, and-this maybe done due to the fact that the tube 3 is flexible. It has been found in practice that it is "only necessary to so arrange the topof thetube 6 with respect to the bottom of the tank as to efl'ectthe stopping of the engine with one gallon of fuelas a reserve supply.

What is claimed is g r 1. In combination, a fuel tank, a carbu- -.-retor, an upstandingloop connected at one end to the tank and having its top positioned abovethe bottom. of'the tank, a tube connected at one end tothecarburetor and having its other end connected to the other 'end of the loop, the loop constituting thesole connection between the tankand tube and the loop being flexible to permit its height to'be varied so as toalter its extenvalve controlled ventfo'r the -top of the tube. 2. In combinatiom a fuel tank, a carbu retor,'an upstanding loop connected at one "sion above the bottom of the'tank, and a end to the tank and having its top positioned above the bottom of thettank, a tube conneoted at, one endyto theearburetorend having its other, end connected to' the other end of bottom of the tank, a vent tube connected at one end to'the'topof the loop, a valvef casing secured to the other end of the 'vent' tube; and "extend ingf beyond one the vent tube and portend adapted when;

s ide of the vent tube-end provided with a port opento the atmosphere, anda valve arranged in the casing and adapted when Y opened to establish communication between 7 15 elosed toscut ofl' communicationbetween the o 'vent tube and. port,

In testimony whereofl aflix my signature.

' GEonensnEnRMnn. 

